It was a delight to host a successful Come and Sing event at Lichfield Cathedral on Sunday 9 March. We were blessed with the most sublime weather (I believe it was the hottest day on record in the UK thus far this year – hotter than Ibiza!)
We decided to make a day of the event, inviting attendees to enjoy refreshments and a talk on our Singing Schools’ Programme, MusicShare, in the beautiful setting of Lichfield Cathedral School’s Chapel, in The Palace – the old Bishop’s Palace. I gave a presentation about the work we do with 5 MusicShare choirs (Mini Voices, Young Voices, Youth Voices, Ladies who Lark & City of Sanctuary (Ukrainian Voices)). I also spoke about other projects, working with around 150 schools per year – with children with special education needs, in primary and in secondary schools. MusicShare is a partnership programme between Lichfield Cathedral School and Lichfield Cathedral with significant funding from Arts Council England via The Music Partnership (our local Music Education Hub for Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford & Wrekin, and Shropshire). I was also able to give a brief update on the Cathedral choirs (18 boys, 18 girls, 10 Sixth form Choral Scholars and 6 Lay Vicars) and the other musical opportunities at school, following a recent performance of Handel’s Semele.
After the talk, we walked over to Eucharist and were made very welcome by the Cathedral team, including my husband Ben, who is Director of Music. The Boy Choristers and Lay Vicars sang Byrd 4-part mass and a Palestrina motet and there was an excellent sermon too! After a quick cup of coffee with the congregation, Martyn Rawles gave a brief talk on the fascinating history of the Cathedral organ before playing Paul Spicer’s Fanfare for Chad rewritten for the 2000 rebuild re-opening. This piece really showcases the excellent Nave division of the organ, which creates a fantastic antiphonal effect. After lunch we returned for a rehearsal of Evensong, followed by another cup of tea and then members joined with the Cathedral Choir to sing Walmisley in D minor and Battishill O Lord look down from heaven. Those involved made a very real contribution and enjoyed the experience of being integral to the choir.
Thank you to Rosemary Downey and the team at Cathedral Music Trust for all their help in organising this event, and to the team at the cathedral for their support before the event and on the day.
By Cathy Lamb, Local Ambassador for Lichfield
